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President's Corner
Happy New Year, and congratulations KCABJ! You shined in 2000. We've made great strides this year. We have a record high bank balance made up of general funds, savings and smart investments. We secured the chapter's first $1,000 grant from NABJ to help defray the expenses of our workshop and scholarships.
We revived the KCABJ tradition of community outreach by being the host of the first KCABJ Black History Film Festival, Time Out for Diversity get-together at the Blue Room and our Hip Hop Debate, which was attended by nearly 100 persons.
Entries and entry receipts for our 9th Annual KCABJ Media Awards Ceremony were up, and we covered all expenses and turned a modest profit from the awards banquet.
We sponsored our 18th Summer Urban Student Journalism Workshop, which included a tremendously updated curriculum to address the needs of the students we are encountering today. We also awarded $2,250 in scholarships to three outstanding students from the workshop. That money included the newly established $1,000 Laura R. Hockaday scholarship financed by The Kansas City Star. Executives from KSHB-TV, Channel 41 who attended the KCABJ Media Awards Banquet also were impressed with our 9th annual event and expressed an interest in committing to taping the students' mock broadcast news tape each year. Pete Wilkenson, cameraman with KCTV-5 and KCABJ member, provided the service at the 2000 program.
KCABJ entered the computer age using e-mail to keep members informed of meetings and events. With KCABJ member Stan Austin's help, the organization launched the first KCABJ web site at kcabj.org.
We also maintained our presence at the national level of NABJ with KCABJ member Glenn E. Rice filling the National Association of Black Journalists treasurer's post.
I want to thank KCABJ Treasurer Lewis Diuguid and his family for opening their home to our members and friends for the KCABJ holiday party. Those who braved the cold weather had a great time. I also thank everyone who brought covered dishes and music to help make the party great.
We all also should thank KCABJ member Tanya Samuels for organizing the party. Several KCABJ members however were unable to attend because of the weather. Although many streets were cleared, some members found that several residential and side streets were quite slick and stayed home.
Therefore, we have rescheduled the election of our 2001 officers for 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13 at the Bruce Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway. This also is our meeting to set our 2001 calendar and to plan our 20th Anniversary. Please plan to attend.
There is much work to do in this new millennium. This year we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of KCABJ. Many say they want to make it special and include community forums, career-building workshops, a banquet, national speakers, members of our shared past and maybe even bring back students from the workshops we've conducted in the past.
Now that takes work, and we still have some issues to address. We must get excited.
--Benita Y. Williams, KCABJ President
bwilliams@kcstar.com
president@kcabj.org
NABJ News
News concerning the National Association of Black Journalists has not been good. This e-mail from Sheila Steinback has been shared in the Internet by NABJ members:
"A lot of you have expressed concern about the cost of next year's convention and the fact that we seem to be locked into room costs of $165 a night.
"You have been reassured by the NABJ president and some board members that every effort will be made to keep costs down. What you may not know and have not been told that is that Phoenix was a big bust as far as convention registration is concerned and, for the first time in its 30-year history, the NABJ is spending more than it's taking in -- it's called a deficit.
"The organization is not broke because it has tens of thousands in its reserve fund; but at the rate the current leadership is going and depending on who runs and wins next year's NABJ presidency, the financial situation of the organization will only get worse. There appear to be a number of reasons for this:
"Remember the big announcement that 2600 of us registered in Phoenix? It was more like 1900 and part of the problem was the hundreds of convention comps issued (did you attend Phoenix free?...you were one of 450); some programs were not fully underwritten by sponsors (always a problem, but it hurt this year); and free spending by one board member in the presidential suite and elsewhere. Who might that be? Harry S. Truman, as the nation's president, said The buck stops here. This one you can figure out. We've lost still another executive director (the 4th in 5 years) over some of these issues, and it's clear we have a board that either will not move or is being stymied when it tries. As a former 3-term board member, I know the difficulties of taking on the leadership, but I and others did so and succeeded with the interest of the organization at heart. Sadly, it has to come to this very public "calling out," because so many members of the board are either uninvolved, frightened or just plain too inept to do something about this matter.
"I know what I know because the treasurer's memo on this budget situation has been circulated to a number of folks and, well, journalists do talk. So, before you start wondering why Disney's so expensive and when the NABJ's coming to your town, you first need to demand that the organization get its house in order now, before Orlando's convention strangles us and jeopardizes the NABJ's future. I hope those of you on the listserv will forward this information to other NABJ members who may not be part of this communication. We must have accountability now and we must demand that the ENTIRE board rectify this problem and publically correct it. If anyone wants a copy of the budget and/or memo, I can forward it to you, or you should contact NABJ Treasurer Glenn Rice who, in my mind, may be one of the few good guys in this travesty. Act now; the NABJ we love and hold dear is in the middle of one of its worst crises ever and as Black journalists we should not keep quiet about this because someone else surely will write our story. Let's not give them something to write and talk about.
-- Sheila Stainback 12/2/00"
Jobs and More
The Kansas City Star has an opening for a copy editor and an assistant features editor. For more information call Lewis Diuguid at (816) 234-4723.
Lewis has a packet of public relations openings. for a copy of the material contact him at 234- 4723.
KSMO-WB, Channel 62 is seeking an administrative assistant. for more information call Lewis.
Sara Lee Corp. is has an opening for manager of media relations. For more information call Ann G. Morris at (630) 325-2959.
Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism's New Media program will offer an intensive, three- day workshop March 10-12 on mastering the techniques and theory of the new media world. For more information call Arlene Morgan at (212) 854-5377 or send e-mail to am494@Columbia.edu.
The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education will again hold its Editing Program fellowship this summer at the University of California-Berkeley. LaTricia Ransom is the new director of the Maynard editing program, replacing Paul Mitchell. Other lineup changes at Maynard include Mark Trahant is now CEO and chairman of the organization, and Dori Maynard is president.
KC People
Tracy Townsend
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In case you have not heard, the lovely and talented Tracy Townsend has left KCTV and will become an evening news anchor at CBS-owned WBBM in Chicago.
Among her parting words on her farewell newscast was a note of thanks to those of us in KCABJ.
Throughout the years, Tracy maintained her KCABJ membership and participated in this organization's functions whenever she was asked. For years, Tracy helped judge applicants for our annual journalism workshop and was a speaker for the workshop's broadcast sessions. Tracy also was instrumental in securing KCTV's support for the workshop and for the NABJ Region 5/8 conference that was held in Kansas City.
Tracy was extremely active in various community organizations, including the Links of Jackson County and Alpha Kappa Alpha. Tracy routinely demonstrated her graciousness by serving as MC for various public programs. Much like Laura Hockaday, Tracy helped link diverse groups in Kansas City through her reporting and community service.
I was deeply impressed with Tracy's coverage of the Columbine shootings and, more recently, her coverage of the plane crash that killed Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan. Tracy avoided the sensational and stuck to the substance. I truly was proud to see one of our own use her talents with such style and high standards.
She will truly be missed.
More KC People
Shandel Richardson joins the downtown sports staff at The Kansas City Star as a high school writer.
KCABJ member Christi Gipson has left real estate and joined KMBC-TV, Channel 9 as an account executive.
KCABJ member and former treasurer Joy Sewing years ago moved to Houston but has retained her membership and ties to KCABJ for the new millennium. Joy became the first KCABJ member to renew for the new year, and she added $5 as a donation to the KCABJ Nancy Diuguid Scholarship. Lewis Diuguid, KCABJ treasurer, also renewed bringing the membership total to two for the new year. More to come on the roll-call front.
Time to Renew
KCABJ membership runs from January to January regardless of when you paid your dues. It's time to renew. The $20 membership dues has not changed since 1981 when the organization officially started. The money is used to help finance KCABJ programs for the year. Enclosed is the application form.
Mail this application with your $20 check to cover your annual membership dues. It entitles you to receive the KCABJ monthly newsletter and monthly meeting notices.
NAME___________________________________
DATE______________________________________
HOME ADDRESS______________________________
__________________________________________
E-mail address____________________________
Phone (w) _____________ (h)________________
Occupation (Title, company and address):
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
FULL/ASSOCIATE/STUDENT MEMBER
(circle one)
Years of Experience________________________
KCABJ and/or NABJ member
(circle one or both)
(Membership in KCABJ runs from January through December. Annual dues of $20 in the organization has not changed since 1981. It is the lowest of any of the affiliates of the National Association of Black Journalists. It entitles you to discounts with NABJ particularly during the annual convention, which in the summer of 2001 will be in Orlando, Fla., at Disney World)
KCABJ, P.O. Box 32744, Kansas City, Mo. 64111
2000 Kansas City Association of Black Journalists
P.O. Box 32744, Kansas City, Mo. 64111